FALLING INTO HIS WORLD

Chapter 4: When fire meets fate

Blair's fingers tightened around the silver knife, the metal cold and slightly heavy in her her trembling grip. The silk of her charcoal-grey dress brushed softly against her knees as she stood there, her oversized cream sweater slipping a little off one shoulder. Her heart was beating so loudly that anyone could hear even from afar. Another loud crash echoed through the penthouse. Glass shattered somewhere downstairs. She flinched

"Keon", she whispered to herself,her voice shaking.

Footsteps ran past the hallway. Then she heard a loud thud, like something heavy hitting the floor. She pressed her back against the wall next door, her breath uneven as though something terrifying was out there, well Ofcourse, something really was,but she had no idea what it is. All her mind was focused on was Keon at the moment, "was he okay"?.

The smell of smoke started to mix with the expensive cologne that was always in the room.

Downstairs,men shouted. One voice was louder than the rest, it sounded like their boss,she thought.

"Check every floor"!

Blair's stomach flinched

"They're coming", she muttered, panic written all over her face.

Suddenly,three gunshots rang out. She covered her ears and curled up into a ball. Everything went silent. Then the door lock clicked. Blair jumped back, lifting the knife in front of her, it wasn't enough to save her at the moment but it was the best she's got. The door swung open. Keon stepped in fast and shut the door behind him. His once neat dark- Grey suit was slightly wrinkled, his white shirt stained faintly, with dust near the collar. A thin line of blood was running down his face,near his temple. It wasn't a deep cut but for a sec it made her gasp, it was the first and probably the last time someone had gotten hurt to save her,she was beginning to get curious of who this man standing in front of her really was. He was breathing hard, like he's being running his whole life.

"They're inside", he said, cutting her thoughts short.

Blair eyes widened. "You're bleeding", she whispered.

"It's nothing", he replied quickly.

She shook her head. "You can't call this nothing", she was enraged with the fact that he cared little about his life while she was all there getting worried.

For a second, their eyes locked. There was something different in his gaze,not cold,not distance. Something more human.

"We don't have time", he continued.

"There's a private exit".

Blair was in awe. "You said I was safe here".

"You were", he answered quickly. "I just didn't expect betrayal from my own people".

Her brows furrowed. "Betrayal?".

"Someone within told them you were here". "And they came for you first,as soon as they got the info".

Her chest tightened. "For me?". Like why her, was it related to that night. She cried within.

"Yes", he said. "You're no longer just a witness Blair. You're a leverage".

The sound of boots running upstairs made them both freeze, like it suddenly brought them back to reality that enemies are still within. Keon moved closer, lowering his voice.

"We have to go now".

Blair hesitated, things were moving too fast, like she needed to process lot of things, but there was really no time. She would have been lying down as a corpse if not for Keon. She still couldn't make a sense out of it.

"Why should I trust you?.

He stared at her for a long second. "You shouldn't", he said honestly. "But I'm the only one standing between you and them".

Another loud bang hit the main door downstairs. Blair's grip on the knife loosened slightly. Keon noticed.

"You're shaking", he said softly

"I'm not scared", she replied quickly.

"You are, he said. "It's okay to be,he added".

That simple tone in his voice did something strange to her chest. He gently reached for her wrist. "Come with me".

She didn't pull away, how could she. She was still at the brick of death. He led her toward the large bookshelf near the corner of the room. He pressed a hidden switch behind a frame. The shelf then shifted quietly, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness. Blair stared in shock.

"You planned all these?".

"I plan everything", he replied.

He guided her down the dim staircase. The air grew cooler and smelled faintly of concrete and metal. Emergency lights glowed faint red along the walls. It was just like in the movies, it was like a safe room,as they'll call it. As they reached the bottom, another explosion sound was heard from the building above. Blair stumbled as her knees got weakened from fear. Keon caught her waist just in time. His hand lingered there for awhile as he was trying to process how one could actually be so fragile and Still act all so tough. It was alluring.

"Careful", he murmured.

Their faces became really close now. She could see the faint scar near his jaw,the tiredness in his eyes. The tension he tried to hide amidst the chaos.

"You're risking your life for me", she said quietly.

He jaw tightened. "I don't lose what belongs to me".

The words should have made her angry. But instead, something warm, something uncertain and confusing flickered inside her. Up ahead,a black glimmering SUV waited in an underground tunnel. One of keon's trusted guards stood beside it, he was dressed in a plain black tactical outfit,his expression looking very serious. Why do all his men always look so serious? She thought to herself.

"Sir", "the top floor is compromised". He said quickly.

"Drive", Keon ordered.

They got inside. Blair's hands were still shaking from fear, as she buckled her seatbelt. This was really a lifetime trauma for her. As the vehicle sped through the hidden tunnel, distant sirens began to echo behind them. Blair looked back. The skyline she had stated at for days was now fading right before her eyes.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

Keon leaned back in his seat, pressing a clean cloth to his temple. "Somewhere no one could easily find us".

"That's not an answer".

"It's all I can give right now".

She turned towards him, the feeling of hatred, bitterness she had always felt towards this man was slowly fading away, but she couldn't put into words what she now currently felt.

"You could have left me", she said softly.

"Yes", he agreed

"But you didn't".

"No", he said again. Wondering what prompted the sudden question. Silence settled between them. Then he added again softly, "You looked at me that night without fear of my money. Only fear of dying. That's indeed rare".

She blinked. "I was terrified".

"You were honest", he corrected.

The SUV emerged from a hidden dock beneath the waterfront. A private jet waited quietly on a small runway, engines already humming for movement.

Blair froze. Like that moment was really alot for her.

"We're leaving the country?".

"For now".

She felt the weight of it all settle on her.

"My family"... "I can't leave without explaining things to them physically".She didn't know what to think anymore,if she stayed she'll be good as dead, if she left,her parents will think she's gone forever.

"They'll be safer not knowing", he said gently.

As crazy as that may sound,it was the bitter truth. She couldn't afford to let her parents get caught up in all these chaos. It could weigh more on her than her losing her life.

As they boarded the jet, Blair glanced back at the city one last time. "When will all these really end", she kept thinking to herself. The Moretti gang had attacked openly,that meant war has officially begun. But that very day, they had failed to capture her. This is only a tip of the iceberg as there's definitely going to be more to it.

Inside the jet,the lights were dim and calm. Soft leather seats. The faint scent of cedar and something warm. Blair sat across him. For the first time since she'd met him, there were no guards or maids in the room. Just the two of them. The jet began to move.

Keon leaned forward slightly. "You should get some rest".

She studied him for a minute. "You don't seem like someone who saves people". She just couldn't stop asking,she needed to fill in the puzzle in her head, hoping the answers he give will calm her down.

He gave a small,tired smile."I don't".

"Then why me?".

He looked out the window for a moment before answering. "Because when I saw you at the alley,You didn't beg, you didn't scream. You stood your ground".

"I was in shock", she said.

"You were strong,you were bold", he corrected. "Like I've never met someone so daring as you were that day".

Her heartbeat softened. "And now?". She asked. Hoping for a clearer answer,as she was still in shock.

"Now", he said slowly, "you're in my world, and I don't intend to let it break you".

His tone wasn't possessive this time,it was protective. Something in her chest shifted. Was it love?, No,not yet. But the beginning of something that scared her more than the gunshots earlier did.

*****

Across town, Tessa stood near the waterfront building,her black leather jacket zipped tightly against the cold night wind. Her messy bun had loosened, strands of hair whipping across her face. Her eyes were sharp, determined to find answers that night. She hid behind a parked van, watching emergency vehicles surround the glass tower. Smoke drifted from one side of the building.

"What happened here?". She whispered.

Two police officers spoke near the entrance. "Internal explosion", one said. "No confirmed casualties".

Tessa's heart pounded. She searched for signs of Blair as that was her only concern. An ambulance passed. Stretchers rolled out,but Blair was nowhere to be found.

She pulled out her phone. "Midnight", she typed halfway,then hesitated. If Blair wasn't there,then she has been moved, which meant she was still alive.

Tessa lowered her phone slowly. "I'm not giving up", she muttered. She had no idea that miles above the ocean, a private jet was already disappearing into the clouds.

******

Back in the aircraft, Blair stared at the city lights fading beneath them.

"Is it over?" She asked.

"For now", Keon replied.

"That sounds temporary".

"It is".

She wrapped her sweater tighter around herself.

"What happens when we land?".

He looked at her carefully. "We start over".

"Start over how?".

"In a place where we're not known".

"And what will I be there?".

"Safe", he said softly.

The plane rose higher into the night sky. Blair closed her eyes, exhaustion finally taking over. Before sleep pulled her under,she felt something warm settle over her shoulders. A jacket probably she thought to herself. She opened her eyes slightly, Keon had draped his suit jacket over her. He thought she was fast asleep. His expression,for once,was unguarded. Soft, unguarded, vulnerable. She pretended not to notice,but her heart did.

Far below, the war between Keon and the Moretti gang had only partially ended.

A traitor remained unknown. The attack had failed,but it had exposed weakness inside his empire. And now,Blair was no longer just surviving his world,she was becoming a huge part of it. Somewhere new, somewhere hidden. Where danger still waited. And where something unexpected was beginning to grow between them.